Ness County, Kansas
Ness County (standard abbreviation: NS) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 3,107. The largest city and county seat is Ness City. Ness County was named for Corporal Noah V. Ness of the 7th Kansas Cavalry. Ness died of wounds received in a skirmish at Abbeville, Mississippi in August 1864.Kansas Place-Names,John Rydjord, University of Oklahoma Press, 1972, ISBN 0-8061-0994-7 Law and government Following amendment to the Kansas Constitution in 1986, the county remained a prohibition, or "dry", county until 2004, when voters approved the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with a 30% food sales requirement. Geography According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 99.98%) is land and (or 0.02%) is water. Adjacent counties * Trego County (north) * Ellis County (northeast) * Rush County (east) * Pawnee County (southeast) * Hodgeman County (south) * Finney County (southwest) * Lane County (west) * Gove County (northwest) Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 3,454 people, 1,516 households, and 977 families residing in the county. The population density was 3 people per square mile (1/km²). There were 1,835 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.23% White, 0.06% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.49% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. 1.51% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 1,516 households out of which 26.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.10% were married couples living together, 4.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.50% were non-families. 33.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.83. In the county the population was spread out with 22.90% under the age of 18, 4.60% from 18 to 24, 24.00% from 25 to 44, 24.20% from 45 to 64, and 24.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 98.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $32,340, and the median income for a family was $39,775. Males had a median income of $27,892 versus $20,037 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,787. About 6.50% of families and 8.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.50% of those under age 18 and 10.20% of those age 65 or over. Cities and towns Incorporated cities Name and population (2004 estimate): * Ness City, 1,360 * Ransom, 299 * Bazine, 270 * Utica, 202 * Brownell, 43 Unincorporated towns * Beeler * Arnold Townships Ness County is divided into ten townships. None of the cities within the county are considered governmentally independent, and all figures for the townships include those of the cities. In the following table, the population center is the largest city (or cities) included in that township's population total, if it is of a significant size. } |- | Center || 11925 || Ness City || 1,567 || 13 (33) || 124 (48) || 0 (0) || 0.01% || |- | Eden || 19775 || || 70 || 0 (1) || 266 (103) || 0 (0) || 0% || |- | Forrester || 23875 || || 109 || 1 (1) || 206 (80) || 0 (0) || 0% || |- | Franklin || 24475 || || 132 || 0 (1) || 372 (144) || 0 (0) || 0.02% || |- | Highpoint || 32100 || || 93 || 0 (1) || 312 (121) || 0 (0) || 0.08% || |- | Johnson || 35550 || || 76 || 0 (1) || 308 (119) || 0 (0) || 0.05% || |- | Nevada || 50125 || Ransom || 479 || 2 (4) || 278 (107) || 0 (0) || 0.04% || |- | Ohio || 52400 || Utica || 345 || 1 (3) || 298 (115) || 0 (0) || 0% || |- | Waring || 75400 || Brownell || 142 || 0 (1) || 308 (119) || 0 (0) || 0.03% || |} Education Map of Ness County (map legend)]] Unified school districts * Western Plains USD 106 * Ness City USD 303 * LaCrosse USD 395, mostly in Rush County See also References Further reading * History of the State of Kansas; William G. Cutler; A.T. Andreas Publisher; 1883. (Online HTML eBook) * Kansas : A Cyclopedia of State History, Embracing Events, Institutions, Industries, Counties, Cities, Towns, Prominent Persons, Etc; 3 Volumes; Frank W. Blackmar; Standard Publishing Co; 944 / 955 / 824 pages; 1912. (Volume1 - Download 54MB PDF eBook),(Volume2 - Download 53MB PDF eBook), (Volume3 - Download 33MB PDF eBook) External links ;Official * Ness County ;General county information * Blue Skyways ;County Level Data * Kansas Statistical Abstract ;Maps * Ness County Map, KDOT * Kansas Highway Map, KDOT * Kansas Railroad Map, KDOT * Kansas School District Boundary Map, KSDE Category:Counties of Kansas Category:Ness County, Kansas Category:Established in 1867